As we advanced to the north, we found the coast from Cape Edgcumbe to trend north and north-easterly for six or seven leagues, and there form a large bay.  In the entrance of that bay are some islands; for which reason I named it the Bay of Islands.  It lies in the latitude of 57 deg. 20’;[4] and seemed to branch into several arms, one of which turned to the south, and may probably communicate with the bay on the east side of Cape Edgcumbe, and make the land of the Cape an island.  At eight o’clock in the evening, the Cape bore S.E. 1/2 S.; the Bay of Islands N. 53 deg.  E.; and another inlet, before which are also some islands, bore N. 52 deg.  E. five leagues distant.  I continued to steer N.N.W. 1/2 W. and N.W. by W. as the coast trended, with a fine gale at N.E. and clear weather.

[Footnote 4:  It should seem, that, in this very bay, the Spaniards, in 1775, found their port which they call De los Remedios.  The latitude is exactly the same; and their journal mentions its being protected by a long ridge of high islands.  See Miscellanies, by the Honourable Daines Barrington, p. 503, 504.—­D.]

At half-an-hour past four in the morning, on the 3d, Mount Edgcumbe bore S. 54 deg.  E.; a large inlet, N. 50 deg.  E., distant six leagues; and the most advanced point of the land, to the N.W. lying under a very high-peaked mountain, which obtained the name of Mount Fairweather, bore N. 32 deg.  W. The inlet was named Cross Sound, as being first seen on that day, so marked in our calendar.  It appeared to branch in several arms, the largest of which turned to the northward.  The S.E. point of this Sound is a high promontory, which obtained the name of Cross Cape.  It lies in the latitude of 57 deg. 57’, and its longitude is 223 deg. 21’.  At noon it bore S.E.; and the point under the peaked mountain, which was called Cape Fairweather, N. by W. 1/4 W., distant thirteen leagues.  Our latitude at this time was 58 deg. 17’, and our longitude 222 deg. 14’; and we were distant from the shore three or four leagues.  In this situation we found the variation of the compass to be from 24 deg. 11’ to 26 deg. 11’ E.

Here the N.E. wind left us, and was succeeded by light breezes from the N.W. which lasted for several days.  I stood to the S.W. and W.S.W. till eight o’clock the next morning, when we tacked, and stood toward the shore.  At noon, the latitude was 58 deg. 22’, and the longitude 220 deg. 45’.  Mount Fairweather, the peaked mountain over the Cape of the same name, bore N. 63 deg.  E.; the shore under it twelve leagues distant.  This mountain, which lies in the latitude of 58 deg. 52’, and in the longitude of 222 deg., and five leagues inland, is the highest of a chain, or rather a ridge of mountains, that rise at the N.W. entrance of Cross Sound, and extend to the N.W. in a parallel direction with the coast.  These mountains were wholly covered with snow, from the highest summit down to the sea-coast; some few